Dallas, Texas
by bandcrazy01
Summary: The Chief Lector receives reports on the attack upon the Fifty-First Nome. Lack of communication results with him questioning things. Sets in the beginning of The Serpent's Shadow. One-shot. Requested by polarlys.


It started when a ba messenger appeared in the Hall of Ages, finding me in the war room. It's rather furious, and I was more than surprised that it hadn't been sent as an attempt to attack. "Chief Lector, the Fifty-First Nome is in ruins!"

Dallas, Texas. JD Grissom had hesitated to show support, pressure from his wife Anne made him cave in. Of course, our allies have seen how little support we have, and that adds more pressure to get up and leave.

Last week, JD had simply spat at the thought as I asked where he would stand if Jacobi were to strike them next. "I have a 45 with her name on it." I argued with him on the idea of approaching her with a gun when magic is probably more effective. "What the fuck does some pansy New Yorker know that I don't? _Of course,_ we will be using magic to fight back."

I swallow down the fear that's trying it's best to take root. Another ba enters, saying half of Texas was blown up. More pour in, all angry as information continues to get shoved at me whether I want it or not. Another Apophis attack on a nome. My nephew and niece had been seen there.

There are accusations stirring that they destroyed the nome. That they left the scene having taken artifacts from their showcase. The last straw ends up being when one pipes in about them being dead with everyone else.

I stand, and the bas immediately silence. I need to take a few seconds to appreciate the quiet, trying to calm myself. "I'll try to contact the Twenty-First Nome for answers. I'll send a scout to observe Dallas. You will all get answers, I promise."

Most are not satisfied, but they do eventually disperse. I quickly attend to the scrying bowl tucked away in the corner. I try for Carter, but after a few minutes of nothing, I got completely frustrated and dismissed that connection. I quickly connect with Zia, who is currently on Ra's boat.

Poor girl has had it rough. Between babysitting Ra because he _insists_ on it being her, and trying to help me, she's burnt out. It doesn't help that she's under the stress of Ra trying to make her his host. There's not much I can do in that department, and it's rather infuriating because I _know_ what it's like and that no one from the outside can really help.

My throat closes up upon seeing the teen respond. "Chief Lector," she addresses first as I note the hints of exhaustion, she wasn't able to hide from me fast enough. "Is everything alright?"

Damn, I must be rather easy to read for the moment. I clear my throat, and I feel guilty for needing to ask for her help. "Zia, is Ra being manageable for now?"

"Yes, he's actually gone for a nap a few minutes ago," Zia answers swiftly, "Amos, what happened?"

"I've just been bombarded with ba messengers for the past five minutes. The Fifty-First was attacked." I take a moment to try and settle my nerves, realizing I had been gripping the edge of the bowl to the point that a small piece had just broken off. "There are mixed reports stating another chaos attack, or Brooklyn House attacked."

I _highly_ doubt they attacked them, there was no reason to call for that. But most say they had been there, and I feel like I'm on the brink of tears to the mere _thought_ that my nephew and niece could be gone. I want to kick myself for informing her of my concern, considering Zia and Carter had been communicating frequently via scrying.

"Brooklyn House…" her eyes quickly drift away from me, probably to check on Ra before bringing her attention on me again.

"Several state they had been on scene," I'm still hesitating, but I think Zia is reading it at this point. "One claimed they were killed," I force myself to spit it out quickly, so I can hurry up with what I'm about to request. "I tried to reach Carter, but he wasn't there. I still need to send a scout to check on the nome."

Zia nodded in understanding to what I'm requesting of her. "Okay, I'll keep trying him. I'll let you know what his report is." There's that small edge of confidence she purposely threw in, but I bite my tongue back.

"Thank you, Zia," I make sure to say before she can dismiss our connection. "I'll try to make it up to you."

She lets out a stressed laugh, "That's not necessary, Chief Lector."

Actually, it is, because I've done my absolute best to have her focus on Ra when she attends to his trip. I don't want to overwhelm her, though she acts as if she doesn't care. I wonder if I can get Bast to take over _at least_ a shift? Ra can't get too upset by that, can he?

"You should send that scout," Zia managed to snap me back to our conversation.

"Right," I try to clear my head to focus on what I need to prioritize. "Be safe, don't let Ra make you totally crazy."

She snorts in humor to that. "You do the same with Set." She dismissed the scrying before I could think of anything to respond with.

"What about me?" That voice piped up from the door.

I take a deep breath before turning around. The god of evil is holding a mug and a plate of fish, probably for me. Because the thought of maintaining _myself_ has constantly slipped my mind, but there's a god that insists on it every so often.

How does he manage it, you're probably asking? Easy, the god is running around appearing as me. Taking being in two places at once almost literally. So far, he must be doing a grand job of mimicking me, because the few members that remain have yet to question it.

I can't help but pale at the idea of the feseekh. But I'll gladly take the coffee because I'm only running on coffee and a fifteen-minute nap. Set's eyes narrow, because he knows without me having to say anything. "The last time you ate _anything_ was two nights ago, and that was a slice of bread."

Would have been an entire sandwich, but the map exploded with activity from the rebel rogues, and once that had calmed down, I ended up falling asleep. Set claims that he ate the rest of the sandwich during that, then made a joke about digesting it so he can spit it out for me, "like the baby bird that I am."

I know I should eat, but any kind of appetite I may have had died within the last half hour. Set scowls as he hands me the mug, and sits on the chair that Zia usually takes at the map. "Whatever, I haven't had feseekh in _ages_, so thanks for the food, _Chief Lector_." Set immediately snaps the fish in half with his hands.

I sit at my chair, taking a sniff of the coffee. It's not as strong as I prefer, but it'll be enough to keep going. Taking a sip, I watch the god take a bite, being very loud as he eats on purpose. "I understand your point, Set. I'll eat something later."

"If you don't, then I'm disowning you. I don't deal with fragile hosts, kid." Another bite in, he pauses to process the taste in his mouth. "I think there's too much salt on this."

I wouldn't be surprised, we only have two cooks, usually, we are running with ten. Granted, with the number of people that have left it makes it easier, but it still stressful on them to feed everyone that's still around. Of course, they won't admit it when I ask.

Another sip of coffee before I reach for the hawk shabti on the map. I had left it hovering over Toronto, sending it there after receiving reports of that nome being attacked. The nome was completely destroyed with no survivors, thanks a lot Apophis.

I then placed it over Dallas. I hesitate, but chug down the rest of the coffee and set the mug off to the side. Then I hover my hand over the shabti, speaking a spell that allows me access to what it's seeing.

Emergency vehicles are surrounding the Dallas Museum of Art. Police are placing their lines to encompass the entire property, halting several guests on the road leading to it. Firefighters are inspecting the area, and ambulances are on standby in case of survivors.

The area outside of the museum looks as if a giant bomb had gone off, the same result for the other five nomes the snake has ambushed. The only difference is the museum appears unaffected. That throws me in for a loop because all of the nomes have been totally destroyed once the dust has finally settled. So why is Dallas different in this case?

_Sadie was there, right?_ Set interjects. _Kind of looks like a Ma'at spell._

I've heard of it, but I'm more aware of how easy it'll kill the magician trying to speak that divine word. That unsettling feeling is taking over whether I want it to or not. Did my niece just die saving a museum?

I instruct the hawk to enter the building, hoping we can find survivors inside. Right as the bird found a window that had been cracked open, I was forced out. I blinked as I found Set with his hands on my shoulders, his breath smelling strongly of salty fish.

"What good will that do?" Set scowls. "What if they already left? You'll just get upset because you hadn't found them inside, idiot."

They're dead, there's no way Apophis would have let them survive. My throat closes up as my eyes are threatening to water. Nothing has gone right since taking Chief Lector. The only reason I'm still going is for my brother's children. Now they are gone, so what's the fucking point anymore?

The god sighs, "You need proper sleep, your emotions are completely wacked. I'm sure your nephew and niece are fine, Kane. Sadie is stronger than you, she's probably back home about to take the best nap she's ever had. And let's be honest, it would be a blessing if Carter died, but I highly doubt it."

Really, he just _had_ to slip in his hatred for Horus into this? Maybe he was trying to throw in some humor, but it only disgusted me. He frowns as he takes note of that. "You should get some sleep; I'll wake you when Zia scries."

I hesitate, wanting to protest, but I'm well aware that the god can force me to sleep as well if I refuse. I stand from the chair, taking in the map again. It's killing me not inspecting the inside of that museum. I rip my eyes away from it to enter the next room.

This room is currently the Chief Lector's chamber. Iskandar had transformed it from the treasury room it had been, making practical use of the space since we've been without a pharaoh since. That way I can jump out of a nap and right into duty, which had taken quite a bit of practice on my part and a lot more ingestion of caffeine. I had offended a number of nome leaders thanks to a yawn as it is.

It's a decent amount of space, I suppose it would have to be for the Pharaoh's possessions. There's space for a full-size bed, a dresser, a coat hanger, and two end tables. I'm still not used to it, so I've kept it rather organized. It helps that I hardly ever use the room, I suppose. I _did_ have to exchange the mattress for something firmer, Desjardins must have preferred sleeping on a cloud. That's fine, but the few nights of sleeping on it had actually been triggering, feeling very close to when Set would take control during my possession. The firmer mattress takes a bit to get comfortable on, but I prefer it over waking up screaming.

I removed the leopard cape to hang on the coat hanger before flopping on the bed. The mattress barely moved, and I snort as I tell myself I might as well just be sleeping on the floor. I take a slow breath to try and relax. Honestly, I'm tired enough that I could definitely crash right now. Except my head wouldn't allow it.

I can vividly recall when Julius and Ruby gave the big news. It had been a nice summer afternoon, and the married couple _insisted_ on pulling me from my studies for lunch. Julius, of course, perfected the art of telling me they were expecting so I could choke on ice water. They hadn't even told Ruby's parents yet, but they agreed to let me in first. I was _stoked_ to become an uncle; I helped the ecstatic to-be parents with the baby room and whatever little requests they had.

It was like staring at Julius whenever he would accidentally slam his thumb against something. My brother didn't appreciate the joke, thankfully my sister-in-law thought it funny. I can clearly remember Carter's eyes focused on my finger as he gripped it, and upon leaving I told myself I would do whatever I need to protect him.

I would babysit Carter when the parents needed one. I helped make Sadie's room when they were expecting her. Julius couldn't believe how much of a copy she is to her mother, a beautiful blue-eyed girl that very much wants to explore the world.

Everything went all so fucking _wrong_ once Ruby died. It _still_ is, because once the level-headed father of theirs decided "oh hey, hosting Osiris is an option," shit has hit the fan with me as their guardian. Can I even call myself that, considering what I've put them through?

Carter reminds me _so much_ of Julius, maybe that's what happens when you travel the world for six years with your father. I have moments were I literally mistaken him for my brother, and I feel bad for it but I realize I can't help it either. I feel like I've failed my nephew on a massive scale, and part of it _is_ because he looks like his dad, and I failed all of them during Set's attempt to rule the world.

I brush my arm against my cheeks to wipe the tears away, letting my arm rest on my forehead as I take a strangled breath. If Set is correct about the Dallas Nome, what if Sadie killed herself to save a fucking building? Ruby already sacrificed herself, my niece shouldn't be doing that shit too. But Sadie is stubborn, and I could see her easily deciding to try and protect against Apophis.

If they're gone, is there any point in trying anymore? Apophis wins, right? Should I even try to keep going, just to watch the world crumble into chaos? And even if we _by some miracle_ win without them, do I have a purpose to keep going?

I close my eyes and reprimand myself for thinking like this. A responsible adult would find the strength to move on. Chief Lector is supposed to represent a sensible adult, one that can lead the Per Ankh. But frankly, I don't think I'm strong enough for that.

I must have cried myself to sleep because I honestly don't remember when I had fallen asleep. I quickly got up, worried about how much time I may have let slip past. Quickly putting the cape on, I step into the war room.

Zia is sitting in her chair, hands cradling a mug. Camouflage is today's outfit, I suppose. She looks exhausted still, but still raises an eyebrow at me after a few seconds of taking each other in.

"I have Carter's report," Zia speaks first. "I'm sorry that it took so long to give. Sobek cut our conversation short. By the time he left, Set answered my scrying and said you were sleeping."

What do you know, the god of evil being _evil_ yet again. Though that's probably not what he had thought when he decided against waking me up as he had promised. I quickly take my seat at the map.

"Are they alright?"

Zia gives me a sad smile before nodding. "A bit upset from not being able to save everyone. Sadie survived casting Ma'at, scared Carter when she wasn't breathing for two minutes."

I let out a relieved sigh, feeling a tad foolish for completely believing the absolute worst had happened. I'm impressed by my niece for pulling such a feat, just wish she hadn't. "Carter would like to apologize for not informing first. Once they knew, they left immediately in hopes of stopping the attack."

Completely understandable, I would have done the exact same thing in his position. I take a moment to process that the world wasn't ending the way my head had quickly spun. "Okay, give me Carter's report."


End file.
